1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of rain gutters, especially rain gutters used for residential homes, and, more particularly, to brackets for mounting such rain gutters to facia plates, exposed ends of roof rafters, or the like.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is known, even to the most casual observers, that most residential homes, as well as apartments, condominiums, and many other types of buildings, have rain gutters installed under the eves collect rain running off the roofs and direct such runoff to downspouts. In particular, rain gutters are commonly used over entries and windows so as to prevent the runoff from roofs from pouring down onto persons entering and leaving the building and to prevent possible water leakage around doors and windows, as might otherwise occur in the absence of rain gutters which divert roof runoff away therefrom.
Rain gutters are commonly constructed of sheet metal, such as aluminum or galvanized steel. In some instances, however, rain gutters may be constructed of a strong, thin plastic material, such as PVC, polycarbonate, or fiberglass.
Typically, rain gutters are more or less rectangular in transverse cross section, but may be sculptured in shape to provide an aesthetic appearance and to provide greater longitudinal stiffness. To provide greater longitudinal stiffness, at least the outer upper edge of most rain gutters is bent into an inverted J-shape to provide a narrow, inwardly and downwardly extending lip. For residential use, rain gutters are typically about four to five inches in width and are about four inches deep; although, larger sizes may be used for commercial and industrial buildings.
Rain gutters are attached to facia plates (or to exposed ends of rafters) by a variety of different types of attachments. One of the most common--and presumably the least expensive--type of rain gutter attachment merely comprises a long, common nail and a tubular spacer having a length equal to the inner width of the rain gutter at its top, the nail being substantially longer than the tubular spacer. With the spacer in place to prevent collapse of the rain gutter, the nail is driven through the outer (exposed) side of the rain gutter, near its upper edge, through the inside of the spacer, through the back (mounting) side of the rain gutter, then into the facia plate (or exposed rafter end).
Although easy to use and inexpensive, such nail and spacer rain gutter attachments have several significant disadvantages. Primarily such attachments usually do not provide a very strong said rigid gutter support and attachment of the rain gutter to the facia plate (or rafter end). Especially in regions of the country where snow and ice collect in the rain gutters in the winter, the long nails used in such nail and spacer attachments bend under the weight of the snow and ice in the rain gutter, thereby permitting the rain gutter to sag in an unsightly and ineffective manner. However, even in regions of the country which do not have snow and ice in the winter, the exposed nail heads of the nails used in nail and spacer rain gutter attachments are unsightly. This especially is the case for single story homes having relatively low and exposed eves over entryways, where the rain gutters are readily visible.
Consequently, different types of rain gutter attachment means have been devised. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,422, which was issued on Oct. 13, 1981 to Wm. Odekirk, discloses a one piece gutter hanger bracket which is constructed of a bent-up piece of sheet metal strip. As disclosed, the hanger bracket has an upwardly and outwardly inclined nail guide portion in its midsection, which enables a mounting nail to be driven through the bracket at a slant so that the nail is accessible for driving without damaging the rain gutter or being visible from below.
While such hanger bracket for rain gutters appears to be an improvement over the above-described, simple nail and spacer attachment, it nevertheless seems to have some disadvantages. As an example, the hanger bracket has, as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the Odekirk patent, about twelve bends. Special, costly equipment would, therefore, seem to be needed to make large production quantities of such brackets. Moreover, care must be taken when attaching rain gutters using the disclosed hanger brackets, for if the attaching nail is driven into the facia plate with too great a force, the nail guide portion of the bracket can be easily collapsed, thereby requiring the pulling of the nail from the facia plate and replacement of the hanger bracket and possibly also the section of the rain gutter being installed. Still further, because the disclosed hanger bracket is constructed of bent-up sheet metal, it is subject to bending under snow and ice loading of the rain gutter with which it is used.
For these and other reasons, the need still exists for a sturdy, inexpensive, easily installed, fool-proof rain gutter support and mounting bracket, and it is a principal objective of the present invention to provide such an improved support and mounting bracket for rain gutters. Also, the nail in the bracket is very difficult to hit if there is too much roof overhang, as the hammer hits the front of the rain gutter or roof.